Camping

We went camping Friday night in our "new" pop-up!  Alas, I don't know what happened to my pictures.  I took lots of pictures, but they are all completely gone from my camera!!!  I'm disappointed; I had some really good ones of the kids setting up camp and hanging out in the pioneer village.  I loved the one where Malachi was watching the woodworker turn a spindle on the pole lathe.  I managed to capture the awe on his face.

But, since they are gone, I'll just have to use some words.  The weather was gorgeous, and evidently most people did not get the weather report in time, because the campground was not very populated.  I would say that it was less than half-full, maybe only a third full.  The kids enjoyed the playground, and the boys spent plenty of time on their scooters.  I was happy to cook over the fire.  We just had hotdogs Friday night, but I made scrambled eggs and sausage Saturday morning and tinfoil dinners for lunch.  (Of course, the kids didn't eat the tinfoil dinners; they had more hotdogs along with the broccoli I steamed.)

The pioneer village was the highlight of the trip.  The boys both said it was their favorite part, and you know that makes my heart glad!  We watched a woodworker, lace maker, and blacksmith.  The weaver wasn't weaving on her loom, but she did teach the boys how to make yarn dolls.  Elijah gave his to Lydia, and Malachi wants to wrap his up as a Christmas present for Annabelle, so they were both really happy.  (At this point, Lydia was done with the the history lesson, and Nathaniel had taken her to the playground.)  The boys loved watching the grist mill work, too, and we did buy some cornmeal.  I'll have to let them help me make corn bread this week with it.

We left Saturday in the later afternoon, because I had to work the nursery on Sunday.  The kids wanted to stay another night, so we hope to get back there or to another campground soon.  It may be difficult, though, with school, soccer, and the unpredictable weather.

Water Balloons

Here are some pictures of the kids having fun with water balloons at my niece's birthday party:

And here's the cake.  My sister made an ice cream cake that was really yummy!

Stairs

Well, the stairs are mostly done. Nathaniel has installed them all.  I just need to touch up the white on a few steps and stain the top step.  He's also going to caulk the edges, but right now, I think they look fantastic.  I couldn't be happier with how they turned out!

Also, I never did post this picture of all 5 of us dressed up for the wedding in July:

It's not the best picture, but it turned out pretty good.  Malachi is actually looking at the camera, which is rare.  Of course, Lydia is not, and Elijah's got that weird grin, but hey, it's still decent.

Gotcha!

Mini Almond Cheesecakes

Normally, I don't do a lot of baking when it's over 90 degrees, but tomorrow we are going to a church dinner, and I am bringing dessert.  So first, I made chocolate cupcakes, which thrills my kids but not me.  Then I was looking at my mini cherry cheesecake recipe and decided to try a new version.  I love the original version, and they are perfect for get-togethers because you basically have a bite-sized dessert with no utensils needed.  However, the originals have a chocolate crust, and although I don't think there is such a thing as too much chocolate, I thought it might be wise to make a dessert that didn't involve chocolate for those that aren't big chocolate fans.  So then I tweaked the whole recipe, just for fun.  Here is what I did:

First, I mixed 1 1/2 c graham cracker crumbs with 2 T water and 1 stick of butter.  (I do think I could have used a tablespoon or two less of butter.)  I then pressed this mixture into the bottom of my mini-muffin pan:

Next, I mixed together the filling: 

1 package (8oz) cream cheese, softened

1/4 c brown sugar

2 T milk

1 T almond extract

1 egg

Mix it well.  Then spoon some on top of each little crust.  Try to refrain from tasting it too much, because I had just enough to fill the 24 mini muffin cups.  Finally, bake at 325 for 15-18 minutes.  Enjoy!

Note: I think it would be good to have some chopped almonds on top, but I didn't have any.  Also, you will lose a little crust when you get them out of the pan, but not enough to make a difference.  

Chicks are Growing!

Well, the chicks grow and change all the time.  They are hard to photograph, because they don't like to let me get close at all.  

Here Crest is with Sol.  See how Crest has developed brown in its wings and head?

This is one of our two barred rocks.  The kids call them "Zebras".   This is the one with the hurt leg.  It still isn't all better, but she's walking much better now, and I hope it heals completely soon.  My barred rock hens are so docile and easy to get close to.  Actually, Leaf (the Rhode Island Red) is now, too.  All three of those hens will go into "submissive hen" posture, like I'm a rooster, so it's easy to pick them up if need be.  They all come running to meet me for food, too.

I was trying to get a close up of the brown chick.  I'll have to try again.  She's really pretty, with lots of white and brown striping in her wings.  The black one has the least feathers so far, mostly she's still fluff, but some feathers are coming in on her wings.

Cherry Tomatoes and Irish Soccer

My blog titles are odd, aren't they?  Although I only got 2 regular tomatoes from the garden today, check out the cherries:

These cherry tomatoes nearly fill my 8-cup measuring bowl.  And this is after Lydia and I ate bunches!

Also, when my in-laws went to Ireland earlier this summer, they bought each of the grandkids a soccer outfit.  I think they look too darn cute!